If there's one lesson recent Stanley Cup winners have taught the teams trying to dethrone them, it's the value of building from within. The core of championship teams continues to be players who are drafted and developed by that franchise.

But finding the right talent isn't always easy. Every team has had its ups and downs since the draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the hits (and some of the misses) for the five teams in the Atlantic Division on Draft Day:

If there's one lesson recent Stanley Cup winners have taught the teams trying to dethrone them, it's the value of building from within. The core of championship teams continues to be players who are drafted and developed by that franchise.

But finding the right talent isn't always easy. Every team has had its ups and downs since the draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the hits (and some of the misses) for the five teams in the Northwest Division on Draft Day:

If there's one lesson recent Stanley Cup winners have taught the teams trying to dethrone them, it's the value of building from within. The core of championship teams continues to be players who are drafted and developed by that franchise.

But finding the right talent isn't always easy. Every team has had its ups and downs since the draft began in 1963. Here's a look at the hits (and some of the misses) for the five teams in the Southeast Division on Draft Day:

Craig MacTavish is eager to make some noise this weekend, when the NHL Draft is held at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The 54-year-old, who was named general manager of the Edmonton Oilers on April 15, told reporters Tuesday he's seeking some grit to go along with the tremendous young skill the Oilers boast.

Though trade talks have heated up in recent days, MacTavish has yet to pull the trigger. That may not happen until Sunday, when the draft gets underway (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

After having the No. 1 pick the past three years (Taylor Hall in 2010, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011 and Nail Yakupov last year), the Oilers enter Sunday's draft at No. 7. They finished third in the Northwest Division this season with a record of 19-22-7.

Defenseman Ryan Pulock of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League has been shooting pucks for as long as he can remember.

"As a small-town kid [in Dauphin, Manitoba], I had a lot of free time at the rink and I spent a lot of time just firing pucks with my brothers, or whomever was around," Pulock told NHL.com. "As a kid, I'd just fire away, and as I got older, I tried to bring some more accuracy to it. My shot is definitely a big part of my game and I like to use it a lot."

The results have definitely been encouraging, particularly for any NHL general manager in search of a point man with pro potential and a cannon of a shot at the 2013 NHL Draft on Sunday on Prudential Center (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames have a plan for the 2013 NHL Draft -- swing for the fences.

Owning the sixth, 22nd and 28th picks in the first round, the Flames -- who started a rebuild phase after trading Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester prior to the trade deadline -- have the opportunity to kick start their retooling when the team arrives at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on June 30 for this year's draft (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

General manager Jay Feaster knows just how important this year's draft is to the future of the franchise.

"The importance of this draft is not lost on the organization and it certainly isn't lost on the management of the organization," he said.

In one day, the Flames have the opportunity to change the face and fortunes of the franchise, starting with their highest pick in the process since 1999.

TORONTO -- Tampa Bay Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray admits there's definitely some heartache associated with selecting near the top of the NHL draft in any given year.

Murray's obviously referring to the fact the Lightning finished a disappointing 28th in the League standings this season while failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season.

While Murray knows losing never solves anything, he's confident he and his staff will acquire an impact player with the third pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, which will be held June 30 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

"It's never fun to get there, but when you do it's kind of exciting for the franchise because you believe you can add a key component that can take the team up to another level," Murray told NHL.com. "You never want to be picking high. You either want No. 1 or No. 30.

Could the Colorado Avalanche have made a decision on whom to take with the first pick of the 2013 NHL Draft?

During an appearance on "Xfinity Monday Live" on Denver's CBS affiliate Monday, Avalanche executive vice-president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said if the draft were held Monday, the team would select Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon.

Sakic previously identified forwards MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Aleksander Barkov as the team's top candidates. Asked if MacKinnon was the best bet of that trio, Sakic said, "I think if we had to do it today, right now, he would probably be the guy, yes." He quickly added, "But we still have some time."

Avalanche coach Patrick Roy had a similar response in an ESPN.com interview Monday, saying, "It would be tough for us not to take MacKinnon. MacKinnon is ready to play tomorrow."

SAN JOSE – When it comes to this year's NHL Draft, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson can't help but think of the stellar class from 2003.

So, it's no wonder Wilson can't wait for Sunday's draft to get underway at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Sharks own four of the first 60 picks -- No. 20 in the first round and three second-round selections.

"This is viewed as just a really, really strong draft," Wilson said Monday during a pre-draft news conference. "You're going to get really good players all the way through the second round. You go back to the '03 draft, the quality of players and where they were picked."

The pressure of being the youngest Finnish forward to represent his country at the 2012 World Junior Championship never got the best of forward Aleksander Barkov.

In fact Barkov, who was one of only four 1995-born players participating at the 2012 WJC, became the youngest Finnish player to ever score a goal at the tournament. At 16 years and four months, the 6-foot-2, 209-pound center made history when he connected for the decisive goal in an 8-5 victory against Slovakia in the quarterfinal round.

Barkov finished with one goal and four points in seven games for fourth-place Finland at the 2012 tournament, which was held in Edmonton and Calgary.

"It was a great experience and it was nice to score a goal against Slovakia," Barkov told NHL.com. "The best hockey experience ever was that tournament."